After Heat Wave, France Agrees
To Lift Spending on Health Care

Dow Jones Newswires

Updated Sept. 30, 2003 7:13 p.m. ET

PARIS -- France's government will spend &euro;489 million ($570.4 million) over five years to improve emergency health care after doctors were overwhelmed during a heat wave that killed nearly 15,000 people, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.

The funding will translate into about 10,000 new jobs and 15,000 new hospital beds, the ministry said....